https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=3951-2StoryCoop I have a coop that is similar to this one. it just doesn't have the bottom part and opens up on the front. anyways, the bottom of the coop is wire with a tray underneath. so the questions are... should i keep putting shavings in it if they just fall right through the wire? should i put enough so it sits above the wire? is it okay if the chickens only have a wire floor and not really any bedding? thanks
If the bottom is wire, you will waste your money putting wood chips in. They'll just fall through. If you want to have a layer of wood chips, then you'll need to place something over the wire first -- a thin layer of board, most likely. However, it WILL be harder to clean.
I'm not a big fan of wire bottom coops. The wire can be hard on a chicken's feet, so you would need to keep checking feet for abrasions and potential bumblefoot. Secondly, if the openings in the wire are wide, it's a predator risk (grabbing through the wire). If the openings in the wire are small, the droppings tend to catch on them. In winter, the wire floor could cause a downward draft in the coop. You've got a tray under the wire, right? How is that working? Do the droppings fall through to the tray or do they get stuck on the wire?
the wire has got to be hard on their feet! i assume it's there so the poop can fall thru to the bottom for easy cleaning. i wouldn't waste money on wood shavings that will fall thru. for flooring try maybe some cardboard or newspaper that could be taken out and composted and cheaply replaced?
Our entire coop, including the bottom, is encased in mesh wire. Absolutely critter proof. On the bottom mesh wire I have about 3" of shavings. You wouldn't even know the wire was there, it's like a dirt floor. Ideally the shavings would fall thru the bottom for easy cleaning, but that doesn't last long before it all gets caked into a dirt floor kind of thing.
